Michigan maple syrup could be in danger from warm winter

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GRAND RAPIDS, MI - Local farmers are worried that the oddly warm winter in Michigan is going to have an adverse impact on the maple syrup industry.

"This is not an ideal season for anyone who started late," said Kristin Tindall, master naturalist with the Blandford Nature Center. "A lot of people are used to starting in mid-February. If anyone tapped (the maple trees) in January, they're already done."

Warmer weather early in the winter can prompt farmers to tap their trees too early into the season. Tapping too early can lead to less sap being produced and a lower sugar content in the sap, both of which lead to a lower-quality product.

Maple trees are usually tapped in the late winter, as the days begin to get longer, Tindall said. Maple trees begin to actively convert starch stored during the cold months into sugars, which are then pumped into the sap inside the trees. The sugar, along with other gases in the tree, create pressure within the tree and the sap begins to flow through the tree.

The nature center, located in Northeast Grand Rapids, taps their maple trees for educational purposes, not commercial.

Students from the C.A. Frost Environmental Science Academy and the Blandford Middle School tap the trees every year in mid-February to learn about the natural process of making maple syrup.

Dan Tassier, board member of the Commercial Maple Syrup Producers of Michigan, makes his syrup to sell to consumers.

"So far, the sugar content this year has been really low," he said. "The general consensus of fellow farmers is the same. When it stays warm too many nights in a row, the buds on the tree will swell. Once they swell, the sap will turn bitter and the season is done."

Michigan has the country's fifth-largest maple syrup industry. If the winters keep flip-flopping between warm and cold, that could spell out danger for Michigan maple syrup.

"On average, (Blandford) produces about 40 gallons of syrup from 150-200 tapped trees," said Tindall. "Over the last few years, since 2012, the seasons have been really back and forth."

Tindall said the average yield for the nature center in the past five years has decreased about 10 gallons.

An early tapping season isn't the problem. It's the continued warm weather that could lead to sustained lower quality of syrup, which would have a widespread impact on the industry.

Kirk Hedding, president of the Michigan Maple Syrup Association, said the changes in winter weather can be stressful on the industry.

"The extreme weather leads to lower yields and opens the door to new invasive species and disease," he said. "If this trend continues, it could have a severe impact on the industry as a whole, which will, in turn, impact the economy and tourism in Michigan."